Only seven episodes of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror have been made, but their dark and unsettling depictions of the future have garnered a sizeable cult following. Now, Radio Times is reporting that the show has attracted the attention of Netflix, and that the streaming service is keen to pull the show away from British broadcaster Channel 4. The show debuted in the UK in 2011, but it wasn't until last December that it landed on Netflix in the US. The last six months will have exposed the series to a massive audience -- at the same time, the streaming service is looking for popular shows to add to its growing "Originals" initiative. Charlie Brooker has previously confirmed that a third series is in the works, but so far we've only been treated to a Christmas special. If Netflix can persuade Brooker to switch allegiances, it would be another critically acclaimed show to slip in between seasons of Daredevil, Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.

You've had the option of playing X-Wing and TIE Fighter (aka some of the finest Star Wars games ever) on modern PCs for a while, but let's face it: you've been waiting to buy them on Steam, haven't you? If so, you now have your chance. X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliancehave reached Valve's store, complete with their expansion packs. In the case of the first two spaceflight titles, you even have your choice of playing the DOS-based originals or their Windows re-releases. They normally cost $10 each ($30 as part of a bundle), but a promo will knock 10 percent off the price if you pick any of them up by May 7th.

Tim and Adrien Soret, brothers from Paris, were quietly developing a Studio Ghibli-inspired dark fantasy game when the Cyberpunk Jam digitally rolled into town in early 2014. They took a break from their existing development scheduleto build a completely new experience,a pixelated, neon-infused, sci-fi homage to some of their favorite childhood titles -- Another World, Flashback and Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. They were new to game development and unknown on the indie scene, but in six days they coded, animated and designed their entry, The Last Night, and then threw it online for voting. They didn't expect much.

"When we discovered that we won out of 265 games, we were totally stunned," older brother Tim Soret says.Slideshow-281137

District 9 creator Neill Blomkamp gave sci-fi fans a brief glimmer of hope in January, when he teased that he had secretly been working on an Alien sequel that had (apparently) been scuttled. Well, it might be back on again -- Blomkamp is now claiming on Instagram (with support from Variety sources) that the project is "officially [his] next film." There's no word on the movie's plot or when it might hit theaters, but his sneak peek showed concept art that included Ripley in an alien-like suit, Weyland-Yutani's headquarters and the return of Aliens' Corporal Hicks.

It looks like that fabled TV adaptation of Minority Report is poised to become a reality. According to Deadline, Fox has ordered a pilot episode for Steven Spielberg's attempt to continue the storyline of his ambitious and occasionally prophetic sci-fi movie. Not that you'll likely see Tom Cruise or other familiar figures, mind you. The hoped-for series reportedly takes place 10 years after the film and focuses on one of the Precogs' (crime predictors') attempts to adjust to normal life with the help of a detective who finds ways to use those mental talents. There's no word on when the pilot could be ready, but the show at least appears to be more than just a twinkle in Amblin Television's eye.

You're probably aware that most sci-fi space battles aren't realistic. The original Star Wars' Death Star scene was based on a World War II movie, for example. But have you wondered what it would really be like to duke it out in the void? PBS is more than happy to explain in its latest It's Okay To Be Smart video. As you'll see below, Newtonian physics would dictate battles that are more like Asteroids than the latest summer blockbuster. You'd need to thrust every time you wanted to change direction, and projectiles would trump lasers (which can't focus at long distances); you wouldn't hear any sound, either.

If you regularly follow geek culture, you've probably seen early versions of Dirk Loechel's spaceship comparison chart, which shows the relative sizes of vehicles from science fiction games, movies and TV shows. Well, it's finished -- and it's even more authoritative than the last time around. Get the full-size version and you'll see Babylon 5's Vorlon Planet Killer, Mass Effect's Normandy and seemingly everything in between. The chart even includes a real vessel, the International Space Station -- at 328 feet long, it seems downright puny next to its make-believe counterparts. Some story franchises have better representation than others (EVE is full of colossal ships), and you won't see moon-sized spacecraft like Star Wars' Death Star, but it's otherwise hard to imagine a more complete view of sci-fi transportation.

Sometimes you just need to clear your mind from all distractions and tune out the rest of the world. Sure, you could rely on a playlist or a regular ol' white noise machine, but that doesn't do much to boost your geek cred. Thanks to YouTuber crysknife007, you can now zone out with ambient sounds from Blade Runner, Battlestar Galacticaand more. Whether its the hum of the engines from the Millennium Falcon or Nostromo, there are plenty of options to choose from with all of them providing a 12-hour loop that's sure to last a workday. Of course, you turn off all the lights and pretend your soaring through space, too.

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Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:07:00 -040021|20945108http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/12/recommended-reading-7-12-14/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/12/recommended-reading-7-12-14/http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/12/recommended-reading-7-12-14/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23commentsRecommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.

We've seen everyone from medical school students to airline staff using Google Glass. Heck, even lawyers are jumping on board. California attorney Mitch Jackson is using Glass in his practice to record witness interviews and depositions to be viewed later. Jackson touts the potential of Google's spectacles in the jury selection process, especially when his consultant is across the country, and how useful the Evernote add-on is for easy case-file notations.

If you're so enamored with time travel in TV shows that even Doctor Who isn't enough, we have good news: you're about to get a lot more of it. Syfy has ordered production of a series based on Terry Gilliam's classicmovie 12 Monkeys. While the show will go without most of the apocalyptic flick's cast and crew when it airs in January 2015, its first season (appropriately 12 episodes long) will involve original producer Charles Roven as well as veteran actors from Nikita and X-Men: The Last Stand. The story arc will likely be familiar to anyone who watched the 1995 film -- or 1962's La Jetée, for that matter -- but we're not going to complain about revisiting one of sci-fi's most enduring concepts.

While Machinima has spread its wings beyond its namesake game engine-based movies, the company has only occasionally broken out of its familiar video game template. Those horizons are about to get wider through a collaboration with Ridley Scott's production house, RSA. Scott and RSA president Jules Daly will serve as executive producers for a project generating 12 short sci-fi films for Machinima's channels, with the directors culled from among RSA's superstar ranks. In theory, it's a win-win scenario: Machinima gets professionally-made movies to diversify its library, while directors can explore ideas that wouldn't necessarily be approved for a full-length feature. There's a hope for District 9-style regular movies co-developed with Machinima if all goes well, but we'd advise patience when the partnership hasn't even chosen its directors. It will take some time before we're catching a sci-fi mini-drama from the comfort of our living rooms.

Ever think that the mystery and sci-fi genres could use an extra shot of reality? Well, if the Washington Academy of Sciences has anything to say about the matter, you'll never again need to wonder if a novel is littered with misinterpretations and inaccuracies. The group -- which dates back to 1898, when it was co-founded by Alexander Graham Bell -- has introduced a seal of approval to inform readers whether a novel conforms to generally accepted scientific fact. Any willing novelist may submit their work to the organization, which then sends it through the peer review gauntlet. The certification program has been in place since June, but has flown under the radar before now. Since its inception, four novels have been certified by the WAS, and an additional book is said to be under review. Maybe once the word gets out, authors will know where to turn when they're looking to get the facts straight.

Singularity & Co aims to rescue near-extinct 20th century sci-fi titles to ensure they still exist in the next one. Established from a Kickstarter campaign, the small team has already digitized and published A Plunge Into Space and The Torch, both with new cover art, while its third title required a thousand-mile journey to scan its contents from a university archive. While Mr. Stranger's Sealed Packet is out of copyright, many education establishments weren't willing to let anyone scan its edition of such rare books. Talking to Ars Technica, Ash Kalb added: "If you're part of that university or that consortium then you have access to that book. If you don't then you don't." The republishing group, which ensures it doesn't tread on any existing copyright toes, also offers up a better deal to authors and author estates, in addition to reviving interest in long-gone books. Singularity and Co's now opened its bricks-and-mortar doors in Brooklyn, or you grab more details and updates on their progress at the source below.

Developing a real, working tractor beam has regularly been an exercise in frustration: it often relies on brute force attempts to induce a magnetic link or an air pressure gap, either of which falls a bit short of science fiction-level elegance. The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's Mordechai Segev has a theory that would use the subtler (though not entirely movie-like) concept of negative radiation pressure in light to move objects. By using materials that have a negative refraction index, where the light photons and their overall wave shape move in opposite directions, Segev wants to create a sweet spot where negative radiation pressure exists and an object caught in the middle can be pushed around. His early approach would use extremely thin crystals stacked in layers to manipulate the refraction. As it's theorized, the technology won't be pulling in the Millennium Falcon anytime soon -- the millimeters-wide layer intervals dictate the size of what can be pulled. Nonetheless, even the surgery-level tractor beams that Segev hopes will ultimately stem from upcoming tests would bring us much closer to the future that we've always wanted.

It's a sad day for science fiction fans everywhere, as Ray Bradbury has passed on at the age of 91. We'll always know him best as the author of Fahrenheit 451, but it's really massive legacy in short stories that defined his role in technology. Collections like The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles made it a point to illustrate technology's impact and to never let our gadgetry trample human nature. Appropriately, for all of his ability to envision the future, he was actually rather cautious about embracing it: he only reluctantly allowed e-books and was worried the world was rushing too quickly towards devices. The irony of paying tribute on a technology website to this trepidation isn't lost on us, but we sincerely appreciate Bradbury's literary legacy -- he kept us honest (and entertained) in an industry that sometimes needs a reality check. He'll be missed.

Science fiction is often said to foresee the future, and today, that news couldn't ring more true. Tom Doherty Associates, a subsidiary of Macmillan and publisher of popular sci-fi and fantasy brands such as Tor and Forge, today announced that as of early July, all of its current e-books will be distributed without DRM restrictions. The company's president, Tom Doherty, revealed the shift as a long-time request of both its readers and authors -- which unsurprisingly, are a rather tech-savvy bunch. In addition to the move affecting all of Doherty's current sales channels, the move will allow the publisher to seek out independent e-book dealers that sell only DRM-free titles. While the move is unlikely to extend to the rest of Macmillan's properties anytime soon, just leave it to the sci-fi community to show others the way forward. Perhaps the future isn't gonna be so scary after all.

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Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:48:00 -040021|20223305http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/01/timescape-sci-fi-watch-makes-you-work-for-the-time-of-day-looks/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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If you're like us, you don't mind working that grey matter to tell the time, especially if the watch your wearing looks and acts like something ripped from the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Timescape Sci-Fi watch, thus named for its cryptic time telling interface, sports a chrome exterior and uses a series of blue LEDs to illuminate a rectangular grid, giving you unique temporal readouts. Each line contains a series of dots representing minutes or hours, with the vertical lines displaying hours, the first three horizontal lines showing five-minute increments, and the last row offering exact minutes. Sound complicated? Well it is, but sometimes looking good takes a little work -- you think Uhura rolls out of bed looking like that? The Timescape Sci-Fi watch is now on sale exclusively from Gadgets and Gear for $70, but if you just like staring at shiny flashy things, we've got a video of the timepiece after the jump.

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Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:08:00 -050021|19862178http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/aliens-blu-ray-screenshots-re-stir-our-appetite-for-upcoming-ant/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/aliens-blu-ray-screenshots-re-stir-our-appetite-for-upcoming-ant/http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/aliens-blu-ray-screenshots-re-stir-our-appetite-for-upcoming-ant/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
Watching the Alien Anthology Blu-ray trailer definitely left us itching for the epic sci-fi collection's Blu-ray release on October 26th. But seeing Sigourney Weaver all HD'd up without an SD reference point did make it hard to tell how much effort has gone into the transfer process. Screenshots leaked on AVSForum of the Cameron-supervised remastering of Aliens for Blu-ray thoughshow that the king of the world has clearly been busy de-graining his work to shine in 1080p. The SD to HD shot-for-shot comparison in the gallery below however does highlight some heavy use of blue filtering, hinting James' time on Avatar may have left him with permanent Navi goggles. Still, making the Alien Queen slightly more smurf-ish doesn't mean she's any less scary -- or gooey for that matter. To see for yourself, hit up the gallery below. Gallery-104699

While the US was busy delivering a certain tablet product yesterday, British sci-fi fans sat comfortably at home for a brand new Doctor Who series. We won't go into too much detail here, but the eleventh Doctor -- played by the charming Matt Smith -- was spotted writing a computer virus and sending pictures on a BBC-debranded Blackberry Storm, minutes before the aliens were to incinerate Planet Earth. Perhaps the freshly-regenerated Time Lord's a fan of the virtual keyboard? As a bonus, the Doctor also borrowed a disguised 15-inch Acer Aspire laptop for some virtual face time with chief brainiacs around the world, and then promptly reminded the owner to "delete your internet history" in reference to, well, something more disturbing that he found on the computer. And who are we to question the orders of a time traveler?

Update: Turns out the new Lead Writer Steven Moffat learned of his job offer on a Blackberry back in June 2008. Too bad the Storm wasn't due out for another five months, but a quick trip through the time vortex could turn this into an amusing coincidence.Gallery-89694

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Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:17:00 -040021|19425557http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/02/magnetic-waves-distort-the-brains-ability-to-make-moral-judgmen/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/02/magnetic-waves-distort-the-brains-ability-to-make-moral-judgmen/http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/02/magnetic-waves-distort-the-brains-ability-to-make-moral-judgmen/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23commentsMorality isn't a topic discussed 'round these parts too often, but you mix in the geniuses at MIT and a boatload of magnets, and well -- you've got us interested. According to research conducted by neuroscientists at the institution, people's views on morality can actually be swayed by interfering with activity in a specific brain region. Past studies found that the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) is extremely active when people think about the intentions, thoughts and beliefs of others, and in the new project, gurus disrupted activity in the right TPJ by "inducing a current in the brain using a magnetic field applied to the scalp." The result? The subjects' ability to make moral judgments requiring an understanding of someone else's intentions (a failed murder attempt, for example) was impaired. MIT's own Rebecca Saxe noted that the process introduced a certain level of "bias" more than an outright change of perception, but still, this definitely sounds like an awesome way to get just about anything you ever wanted. Within reason, of course.

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Fri, 02 Apr 2010 02:24:00 -040021|19423448http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/18/sci-fi-channel-being-rebranded-as-syfy/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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You've got to love those marketing folks, right? In an effort to grab an "ownable trademark" that will be more easily recognized on EPGs and online video portals such as iTunes and Hulu, NBC Universal has decided it best to rebrand Sci Fi Channel as 'Syfy.' Phonetically, everything remains the same, but it's the visual difference that counts. The change is expected to take place on July 7th here in the US, with other regions following suit in Q3. We're still not sure we're hot on the whole MHD-to-Palladia thing, but we kind of dig this change -- agree / disagree?

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Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:20:00 -040021|1490845http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/22/scifi-channel-considering-name-change-to-beyond/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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Given that the SciFi channel has deviated from showing only, um, science fiction, we suppose a name change may be in order after all. Based on a recent survey about the network, it clearly states that it's considering changing its name to "Beyond." The survey then asks how the respondent would view the change if it were made, specifically asking how we think the channel would change if the name changed. Is that to mean the content would change from its current slate, or are we just reading too much into it?

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Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:08:00 -040021|1320397http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/23/comcast-beefs-up-hd-lineup-in-dc-metro-area/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
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We could certainly get used to hearing all these HD expansion stories, but the ones most excited about Comcast's latest additions are housed all around our nation's capital. According to tipster Casey, customers in and around Baltimore, Maryland and Northern Virginia are just now receiving six new high-definition channels: Discovery Channel HD, CNN HD, TLC HD, USA HD, Animal Planet HD, and yes, Sci-Fi HD, too. Interestingly, it's said that subscribers in Washington, D.C. have yet to see the newcomers, but feel free to toss a comment in below if that status changes.

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Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:10:00 -050021|1068991http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/comcast-gives-twin-cities-11-new-hd-options/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/comcast-gives-twin-cities-11-new-hd-options/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/12/comcast-gives-twin-cities-11-new-hd-options/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23commentsIt is the season to give, you know, and while we've heard that Comcast will be on the receiving end of things when it hikes rates in 2008, at least users across the nation are receiving a boost in their HD lineup before having the family over this holiday season. Up next on Comcast's list is St. Paul / Minneapolis, Minnesota (and western Wisconsin), which is receiving 11 new channels to complement the 22 already available. Among the newcomers are CNN HD, Animal Planet HD, Discovery HD, Food HD, Sci-Fi HD, TLC HD, Universal HD, USA HD, TBS HD, History HD and FSN North HD. Reportedly, customers in the area are already able to view USA, Sci-Fi, Universal and Food, and the rest of the gang is slated to go live on or before December 17th.

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Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:40:00 -050021|1061601http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/01/season-4-of-battlestar-galatica-will-be-the-last/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/01/season-4-of-battlestar-galatica-will-be-the-last/http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/01/season-4-of-battlestar-galatica-will-be-the-last/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23comments
We normally leave this type of news to TVSquad, but we know this is a big favorite of HD fans everywhere. Like so many of our favorite shows, they can't go on forever -- at least not without jumping the shark -- and just like Lost, the producers have decided when the story will end. While we haven't forgave Sci-Fi for making us wait so long to enjoy the HD version of the show, we do respect the producers decision to end the show when they were done telling their story. So, in November the fourth and final season of 22 episodes will begin with a two hour season premier on Sci-Fi, and as usual we will probably have to wait another 6 months to enjoy it in HD on Universal HD.